Be sure your browser is showing the url
address you are visiting (called the "address bar" in some versions
of Internet Explorer, or "location toolbar" in some versions
of Netscape).

Also make sure your browser is showing the
basic navigation buttons (called the "standard buttons" in some
versions of Internet Explorer, or "navigation toolbar" in some
versions of Netscape).

If either of these toolbars do not show
up on your computer, ask your neighbor or lab assistant if you need help.

Type in the address: http://wow.nrri.umn.edu
. (Type the address in carefully. Some people type in the first three
letters incorrectly out of habit. It is "wow".) This url address
will take you to the home page for Water on the Web (WOW).

The major heading on the WOW home page are:

Overview, Understanding, Data, Teacher,
and Student. Notice what happens when you simply move the cursor over
those terms. (Dont click the mouse yet.)

Now move the cursor over the phrases
"Whats new" and "Search" on the left hand side
of the home page. Notice the cursor changes form when you move over these
phrases. Click on "Whats new". Its useful to check
this link every couple of weeks. This is where you will be alerted to
changes in the website.

Now click on the "Back" button
(on the top left part of your browser toolbar) to return to the home page.

Heres a summary of the purposes of
the buttons on the home page:

Overview  provides an introduction
to WOW, the technology involved, and the people who are making it happen.

Understanding  provides extensive
resource information. It includes: a primer that summarizes key concepts
of lake ecology, GIS information related to the lakes studied, background
information about the lakes, details on the RUSS (Remote Underwater
Sampling Station) and the water quality parameters it measures, and
a glossary of lake ecology terms.

Data  provides water quality
data for the lakes studied in both numerical and graphical forms. It
also provides environmental data related to the WOW lakes.

Teacher  provides teacher
lesson plans that guide teachers in using the resources and student
lessons available through WOW.

Whats New  provides
updates on WOW technologies, people, data and changes to the website.

Search  allows you to search
the web site for specific topics.

Site Map  provides a graphical
image of how the website is organized and where you are in that structure.

NSF  identifies one of the
major sponsors for this project and links you to their website.

Check out several levels of the website
to see what type of information is available. Find the answers to the
following questions through your navigation, then turn this portion of
the tutorial in to your teacher.

What are the five critical water quality
parameters sampled by RUSS? _____________________________________________________________

Where is Ice Lake located? _________________________________

What is the maximum depth of Lake Independence?
________________

Name two community colleges and one high
school that have been involved in writing curriculum for WOW. __________________________________________

Identify the two ecoregions where there
are lakes that have RUSS units. ______________________________________________________

Whats a definition for "detritus"?
_______________________________________________________

Which is usually considered "younger"
- an oligotrophic lake or an eutrophic lake? ___________________________

What are the two major categories of
lessons available for students on the WOW website? ____________________________________________

What is a macrophyte? ___________________________________________

What are the processes that add dissolved
oxygen to water? __________________________________________________

Density is a property of water. At what
temperature is water the densest? __________________________________________________

Which WOW lake is deepest? _________________________

What type of landuse occupies most of
the land in the Ice Lake watershed? __________________________________________________

Look at the picture of the hydrolab after
it was in the water for 2 months. What has happened to it and what affects
might this have on the data it was collecting? ________________________________________________

Look for winter photos of RUSS. How has
the RUSS been converted for use when the MN lakes are covered with ice
during the winter? _________________________________________________